PQA Plus and TQA trainings offered in Waseca, Mankato, Morris
Pork producers and livestock transporters can earn their individual certifications for Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) and Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) at free training events on May 28 and June 25 in Waseca, June 8 in Mankato and June 23 in Morris.
PQA Plus training will be from 10 a.m. to noon and TQA training will be from 1:30-4 p.m. at all sites.
The May 28 and June 25 trainings will be at the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center, located on the west side of Waseca on Highway 15.
The June 8 trainings will be at the Minnesota Pork office, 151 Saint Andrews Court, Mankato.
The June 23 trainings will be at the North Central Soil Research Lab, Morris.
To pre-register, telephone the Minnesota Pork Board office at (800) 537-7675 or email colleen@mnpork.com. When pre-registering, provide your name, address, telephone number and email, if available.
By Dec. 31, 2009, Hormel will require all of its suppliers, including site managers and employees, be PQA Plus certified, production sites achieve PAQ Plus Site Status, and on-farm animal handlers and individuals who deliver pigs to Hormel facilities be TQA certified. Other hog buying companies are expected to adopt these requirements in the future.
PQA Plus is for individuals who provide daily care of pigs. The PQA Plus training also describes the site assessment process and how to achieve PQA Plus Site Status. TQA training is for individuals who haul and handle pigs.
Pork producers can check their PQA and TQA certification status by calling the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675.
PQA Plus and TQA trainings are hosted by the Minnesota Pork Board and University of Minnesota Extension Swine Team. For additional training locations and dates go to www.mnpork.com.
* (The NPPC works on legislative and public policy issues. The NPPC does not receive Pork Checkoff funding
and it is funded voluntarily by U.S. pork producers.)
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2009 - The National Pork Producers Council in a letter sent today urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the U.S. pork industry deal with the negative effects of what initially was misnamed “swine” influenza and is now known as the H1N1 flu or Influenza A.
Pork producers, who prior to the announcement of the current flu “outbreak” already were losing money, have seen losses accelerate to an average of $17.69 on each hog marketed as of May 1. Total losses reached $7.2 million a day between April 24 and May 1.
“Given those loses and based on May 1 futures prices,” said NPPC President Don Butler, “a bad situation for pork producers has been exacerbated and could get worse unless the industry gets some relief.”
To help stem the losses U.S. pork producers are incurring, NPPC has asked USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to:
• Implement a USDA purchase program for $50 million of pork products to help boost cash hog prices. Products can be put into federal emergency food programs, food pantries, senior/elderly feeding programs, hunger programs and other non-commercial food channels.
Urge President Obama to work with U.S. trading partners to remove all restrictions on exports of U.S. pork and pork products and to maintain U.S. pork export markets around the world.
Develop a comprehensive surveillance program for swine diseases, which will provide an early warning for emerging diseases that affect human and animal health. Mandatory premises and animal identification would be necessary for an effective surveillance program.
Work to keep open the border between the United States and Canada – in the wake of a report that pigs on a Canadian pork operation contracted from a worker the H1N1 flu – to allow hog movements.
NPPC told Sec. Vilsack it would identify and bring to his attention other actions USDA could take to assist the U.S. pork industry during the current situation.
Mankato, Minn. - The H1N1 flu virus that infects humans has not been identified in U.S. hogs and the proper naming of the H1N1 flu virus should reduce public confusion by reassuring consumers that H1N1 is not transmitted through pork or pigs and it is not a food safety issue, said David Preisler, Executive Director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association.
“Pork is perfectly safe to eat,” Preisler said. “Federal and state government agencies’ can focus their resources on public education to reduce the flu virus transmission.”
Preisler reminds consumers that Minnesota pork producers are committed to food safety, public health and animal care. Modern pork production practices keep the animals clean, safe and provide protection from predators, disease introduction and weather extremes.
“Pork producers work extremely hard to care for their animals and there is no food safety issues with fresh pork and pork products with respect to the H1N1 virus,” Preisler said.
The following information reaffirms the safety of pork and reinforces the human-to-human transmission of H1N1 flu:
According to the Centers for Disease Control, influenza H1N1 “is not transmitted by food. You cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products."
The CDC has also said it has found no evidence to indicate that any of the human illnesses resulted from contact with pigs.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has said, “Pork and pork products are safe and there is no basis for restricting imports. You should also know that you cannot get H1N1 flu from eating pork. Pork products are perfectly safe.”
The flu virus infecting humans has not been identified in hogs in the United States.
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, has said: “We have no indication that any swine from the United States has been infected.”
According to Peter Cowen, associate professor of epidemiology and public health at North Carolina State University, the H1N1 virus is being called “swine flu” because of the 1918 outbreak in Spain. That virus, Cowen said, probably had a wild bird origin but nonetheless became known as the swine influenza virus because it caused significant mortality in both swine and human populations.
As for the widespread public use of the term swine flu, Cowen said it’s unfortunate because the name implies a simple, zoonotic transmission between swine and people, when in reality, its origin and epidemiology is likely to be much more complex.
* (The NPPC works on legislative and public policy issues. The NPPC does not receive Pork Checkoff funding
and it is funded voluntarily by U.S. pork producers.)
DES MOINES, IOWA, May 1, 2009 - Noting that the U.S. pork industry is nearing the brink of financial disaster, the National Pork Producers Council today called for accurate reporting on the recent influenza outbreak.
NPPC urged U.S. pork producers and others involved in the pork industry to address influenza outbreak misinformation, which already has exacerbated an economic crisis in the pork industry.
Much of the media has referred to the current influenza as “swine” flu despite the fact that the flu virus is not of pig origin, is not in the U.S. pig herd and never has been found in pigs anywhere in the world. Additionally, the World Health Organization, World Organization for Animal Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security have said this is not “swine” flu. They are calling it Influenza A or H1N1 flu.
“We strongly urge the media to accurately report about the H1N1 flu virus and the safety of pork consumption,” said NPPC CEO Neil Dierks. “Inaccurate media reports are negatively affecting U.S. pork producers and the reputation of U.S. pork as a quality and safe product. That’s hurting producers economically and threatening U.S. pork export markets.
“Everyone should be focusing resources on finding a solution to this public health threat, not making unscientific claims,” said Dierks.
“Speculative theories about the H1N1 virus spreading from pigs to humans are irresponsible and only contribute to unnecessary worry among U.S. citizens,” added Dr. Jen Greiner, NPPC director of Science and Technology. “According to the CDC, this virus is very different from that found in pigs, and influenza viruses are not transmitted by food; you cannot get influenza from eating pork or pork products.”
In a letter sent today to the major broadcast media outlets and wire services, NPPC requested that the H1N1 influenza not be called “swine” flu. At least one outlet agreed not to use the term.
“We’re pleased with the editorial decision of the Gannett Company [a leading U.S. newspaper publisher and broadcaster] to no longer use the term ‘swine flu’ in any of its published or broadcast references to the H1N1 virus,” said Dallas Hockman, NPPC vice president of Industry Relations. “We thank Gannett for this decision and hope other U.S. and global media outlets see fit to do the same.”
The incorrect reporting of the H1N1 flu, or Influenza A, as “swine” flu has compounded the economic squeeze the U.S. pork industry has experienced the past 19 months, when producers lost an average of $20 per hog. Since the flu outbreak became a major news story, producers have lost another $6 per pig, with average hog prices falling from $124 a head on April 24 to $118 on April 28. That decline cost the industry nearly $2.5 million a day.
NPPC is urging all segments of the U.S. pork industry to help disseminate the facts about pork being safe to eat and to counter misinformation being reported by the media or peddled by activist groups.
“While education and prevention hopefully can minimize the dreadful impacts of the global flu outbreak,” said Hockman, “only by working together can the pork industry and consumer and health groups work to minimize the H1N1 virus’s impact on the pork industry. It’s critical for the pork industry that all concerned organizations be dedicated and diligent about communicating the true facts about pork and the H1N1 flu.”
U of M Extension provides H1N1 information for pork producers
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/01/2009) - The "swine flu" epidemic raises questions for pork producers, even though the term "swine flu" is misleading and no swine are currently infected. University of Minnesota Extension has created a webpage to provide information and resources on this new H1N1 influenza virus outbreak and links to further information. This webpage can be found at http://www.extension.umn.edu/swine/H1N1
"It is important for the general public to know that pork is safe to eat and pork consumption does not impose a risk for contracting the H1N1 flu," said Dr. Mark Whitney, swine program leader with University of Minnesota Extension. "Although this new hybrid virus has not been demonstrated to be spread to pigs, we are suggesting pork producers increase biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of any influenza viruses from entering their herds," Whitney said.
The webpage includes:
* A PorkCast webinar, "Pork Producer Update: H1N1 Influenza."
* Facts and clarifications about the flu and its overstated relationship to swine
* Biosecurity recommendations for preventing disease transmission to hog facilities
* News and updates on 2009 H1N1 flu, for producers and veterinarians
* Spanish-language resources
* Speaking points about the safety of eating pork. For example, the USDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Homeland Security all state that swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food so one cannot contract swine influenza from eating pork or pork products.
* (The NPPC works on legislative and public policy issues. The NPPC does not receive Pork Checkoff funding
and it is funded voluntarily by U.S. pork producers.)
Washington, April 30, 2009 - The National Pork Producers Council today said it expects the restrictions placed on U.S. pork exports by certain nations due to concerns about the H1N1 virus to be temporary.
“The restrictions should be short lived because U.S. and international authorities have made it clear that the H1N1 virus is transmitted through human contact and that pork is 100 percent safe to consume,” said NPPC Vice President and International Trade Counsel Nick Giordano. “NPPC has been in constant contact with U.S. trade officials, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk have been busy working the phones with our trading partners. It is imperative that our trade officials stop the export bleeding now.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) today named the virus “Influenza A,” and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said the H1N1 influenza should never have been named “swine” flu and there is no justification for the imposition of trade measures on the importation of pigs or their products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security all confirm there are no food safety issues with the virus and that it is not in the U.S. hog herd.
Despite those facts, Ukraine, St. Lucia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Honduras and Croatia have banned U.S. pork imports. Russia and China, which are significant markets for U.S. pork exports, and Kazakhstan have banned U.S. pork from certain states.
“The U.S. pork industry maintains the capacity to serve the Chinese and Russian markets from non-restricted states,” Giordano said. “The other nations account for only a very small percentage of U.S. pork exports.”
While the current export restrictions are manageable, Giordano pointed out, it will be difficult to withstand the loss of further markets. The U.S. pork industry already has lost money for 19 straight months as a result of high input costs, with producers losing an average of $20 per hog marketed.
Pork exports in 2008 accounted for more than 20 percent of total U.S. pork production, contributed approximately $48 per hog harvested and supported more than 65,000 U.S. jobs. The creation of new export opportunities and the maintenance of existing export markets are critical to the sustainability of the U.S. pork industry.
